Friend Ball
by SwiftintheSky
Summary: Friend balls. Feared by wild pokemon, they can destroy your personality and erase your memories, all to have a happy relationship with your trainer. Is this what will happen to Je? Only time will tell. Finally done!
1. Keira

"Those demons!" shouted Dad, his orange fur spiky and ruffled.

_No. No. Oh, Mew, it couldn't be._ My eyes were wide, my brown fur standing on end, and I couldn't breathe. I managed to drag in a breath, and I whispered, "It... Keira can't be gone..."

Mom sobbed. As a water-type, she cried and sweated more easily. At least, that's how it was for Mom, a vaporeon.

But even if she had been a tough jolteon or something, she still would've cried. Who wouldn't?

I turned tail and fled, out of the den, over the hills, through the forest, fleeing. Fleeing from the anger and pain and sorrow. But it followed me. I couldn't escape. I couldn't hide. I felt like I would just break in two.

I burst into a meadow. My heart hurt so much. The moonlight shone down on everything, washing the grass silver, giving everything an otherworldly tint. I would rather be in another world right now. _Anything but this._

And this meadow was Keira's favorite place to play with me. Why had I come here? I knew it would just make me feel even worse, if that was even possible. Keira and I would pretend what we would be when we evolved from eevees. I would be an espeon, and she would be a leafeon.

I just collapsed there and then. The tears came. I sobbed my heart out until the tears wouldn't come. _The world should end,_ I thought bitterly. _First Lunan, then Keira._ I couldn't move. I thought the pain would kill me.

It started drizzling on me. My parents would be frantic with worry, thinking I had been caught, too.

I didn't care. All I could think was:

_My sister._

_My sister is gone._  
_

A/N: That was depressing, but let me warn you, it's not going to get any better. This will be 3 - 4 chapters long.


	2. Slave Balls and Arcanines

"Je, it's time to get up." It was my mother's soft voice.

"You can't make me," I grunted, rolling over in my bed of soft moss.

"Je, I'm your mother and you've got to listen to me." I remained in bed, staring at the wall of our underground den. I could wait her out for hours. Finally, Mom sighed and turned around, padding out of the room. Our den had three rooms, the main room, the sleeping room, and the food storage room, as well as two exits, the front and emergency exits.

My long, keen ears twitched as I heard her whispering to Dad. "How long will he stay this way?" Even for an eevee, I've always had exceptional hearing - it's just the way I am.

"It's his choice how long he will," Dad replied softly. "He has to make his own decision that life will go on." _Yeah, right._ Was I really supposed to enjoy life anymore, when my sister and best friend had both been captured by those piece-of-crap trainers? I don't usually swear, but times like these call for swearing.

Mom dropped her voice. I could hear the word "friend ball". My ears pricked. What was a... friend ball? I rolled out of bed and crept forward silently, straining to hear at the mouth of the room. "At least it wasn't a friend ball," Mom was saying, her fish-like tail wrapped around her paws.

"It could have been worse," Dad agreed heavily.

It just came out before I could stop it, and I found myself saying impusively, "What's a friend ball, and what's so bad about it?"

Mom and Dad both turned to look at me, surprised looks plastered on their faces. Dad beckoned me over, and I pressed myself against his warm body. The flareon spoke darkly to me, a shadow passing over his face. "As you know, trainers capture pokemon in poke balls, but there is more than just the standard type of poke ball," he explained. "One such type is what they call a friend ball. When caught by one of those, your personality, your will for freedom, is completely erased and destroyed." My eyes widened. "You are like a slave, and that is why they have come to be known as slave balls to many pokemon."

"That's horrible!" I exclaimed, bristling with rage as I imagined if my little sister had been caught in one of those. Dad nodded with a sigh.

As if to change the subject and thus erase the dark mood in the room, Mom announced, "The moss in our beds is getting pretty old. Will you go get some new moss, Em?" she asked my dad. His full name was Ember, but Mom usually just called him Em.

Before he could say anything, I volunteered. "I will."

Mom turned to look at me and shook her head firmly. "No way. There have been way too many trainers in the woods lately."

"I'm not a little child," I huffed, and I was gone before they could stop me. I don't know why exactly I did that. I had just been in an angry, stressed mood all day long, and Mew knows I have a good reason for it!

Finally, I stopped at the base of a tree. It was covered with slightly moist, but soft and springy moss. Using my claws, I hurriedly sliced swathes of moss from the roots. I suddenly felt paranoid. My little sister and best friend had both been captured in just under a month.

My best friend had been a fiesty but loyal vulpix named Lunan. There was something special about him - he was alternately colored. I still remember watching from the bushes, Mom's tail whipped over my mouth, as he was taken down by water pokemon twice his level. Later, Mom had explained she wouldn't let me yell or help him, for fear I would be caught, too.

Lunan's family moved away that week.

As I piled scraps of moss on top of each other, I wanted to just scream from the unfairness of it all. Why did it have to be me, of all pokemon, who had to have this fate? I angrily tossed another piece of moss on the pile, my claws already aching.

Suddenly, my neck fur raised. I got a strange feeling, as if... as if someone was watching me? I whirled around, eyes flashing. "Who's there?" I felt ready to take on even a trainer. I'd destroy them and leave them in the forest, for what they'd done, for how much I hated them.

"Arcanine," a deep voice chuckled darkly.

A/N: The agony of cliffhangers, eh? I know I'm on two story alerts, but I don't have any reviews yet and it's rather depressing. Please review if you like or even don't like the story! Constructive criticism is welcomed!


	3. Shattered Rescue

An arcanine's face stared back at me, his black eyes glinting. I didn't even think, just slashed downward at his nose with my claws. The arcanine dodged, but I still nicked his nose with one claw. Growling, the arcanine threw himself at me, and I rolled out of the way, leaving him skidding on the forest floor and plumes of dust rising from his paws.

But soon the arcanine was back after me, letting out long, eerie hunter's howls, and I ran as fast as I could, racing through the forest. He was gaining on me. Fear seared through my body as I poured on extra speed. My only hope was outrunning him.

Something inside me told me that he was too fast and I'd never get away.

Ignoring it, I kept up my dash through the forest. Then I felt the arcanine's hot breath on my heels, and I remembered: my mother, teaching me about survival, telling me if I was ever in trouble, to use a specific call and signal all the eevees and their evolutions in the forest. "Every eevee knows it," she would say seriously.

So that's what I did. Raising my head to the sky, still running, my heart pounding like mad and the howling of the arcanine behind me, I let out a keening cry, hoping, just hoping someone nearby would hear it and come to my rescue. Another, louder creature was crashing along behind the arcanine, bigger and much more clumsy.

The noise of the arcanine's pawsteps slowed, and I felt a rush of joy. He must finally be giving out! I could no longer feel his breath on my heels, but I _could_ still hear the clumsy, crashing creature. All of a sudden, it seemed as if the sun dropped out of the sky and fell on me. Pain seared through every part of my body, my vision was full of flames, and the scent of burning fur and flesh filled my nostrils. Shrieking, I dropped to the ground and rolled frantically, trying to put out the flames, desperate with pain.

The flames went out, a wisp of smoke slowly rising from my fur. Every part of me hurt.

Heaving myself to my paws, I turned to face the arcanine, trembling. I should have known. That arcanine was a fire-type, and he'd just unleashed his inner flame. He stood over me, jaws wide open and ready to release another inferno on me. My paws felt like lead and my pads were burned, my heart aching from lack of air. I couldn't run. I couldn't hide. Letting out one last call to the other eevee in the forest, I cringed back and waited, my eyes squinted shut.

"Good job, Arcanine!" a voice praised. A human voice. A trainer's voice. _That_ was who had been struggling after the arcanine! Anger flared up and fluttered against my chest like a trapped pidgey. I had thought this arcanine was wild. My eyes popped open, and I knew right then: I was going to fight to the end. If I was going to be captured, I might as well go down fighting. Running was useless.

Another trick I'd learned came to mind, and I whipped my tail around as fast as I could. My father had told me that this would distract my opponent, make him wonder what the heck I was doing, so I could get in and attack him when he was off-guard. Sure enough, the arcanine's eyes strayed to my tail, but his trainer yelled from behind him, "It's just a Tail Whip! Don't be fooled! Finish it off with Take Down!"

The arcanine's attention snapped back to me, growling, "You don't stand a chance, scrap. Your tricks don't work on me!"

"They did before your stupid master pitched in!" I snarled, throwing myself at him with as much power as I could muster. He seemed taken aback by my sudden attack, and yelped as I tackled him to the ground, but then rolled over on top of me, pinning me to the earth. I struggled and yelled, but he held me there almost effortlessly.

"Don't hesitate!" his trainer whined. "Now that you're down, you might as well use Fire Fang!" I got my first glimpse of the human, wearing a blue jacket with short brown hair, holding a poke ball in one hand - a strange one, half green and half white instead of half red and half white. But I didn't have much time to examine him, as the arcanine's teeth started smoldering and then burst into flames, the heat further singing my already-singed fur.

Then he lunged at me, fangs blazing, and I braced myself, but the pain never came. An angry screech, an impact to the side of the arcanine, and the fire dog was howling with pain and writhing on the ground, thrown off of me. Wet droplets of water flew from his pelt as I forced myself to get to my paws.

My mother had leapt out of the bushes, holding a tough battle stance and a fierce look in her eyes. My mother, a vaporeon, a water-type, in all her glory. Water dripped from her mouth, and she was ready to do it again. "Oh, Mew, of all the bad luck..." the trainer groaned, sliding his hand down his face. Then his features hardened and he raised the poke ball, as if to throw.

Mother's eyes widened, and she yelped, "Run! Run, Je, as fast as you can!" I tried, but my legs didn't want to move.

"What?" I cried, still trying, despair making my call sound almost whiny.

"It's a friend ball!" she gasped, speeding away, then turning back, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck, and helping me into the bushes. I craned my head to see what was happening. The friend ball was hurtling through the air, aimed... aimed at Mother! Not at me, but at Mother!

I barely thought as I wrestled myself from her iron grip, twisting around just in time as the sinister poke ball was about to hit her. Instead, it collided with me, and the hard object hitting home felt like some stupid mankey had thrown a rock at me.

I felt a strange tingling sensation, my mother's panicked howl sounding like it came from a long distance away.

Then the blackness came.  
_

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I was on a camping trip deprived of Wi-Fi and just got back. Well, it was a week long. Before that I was just being lazy... Anyway, this is the longest chapter yet. I'll try to get another one posted within the next week.


	4. Captive

My eyes flickered open, and for a moment I thought I was back in my home forest with Mom and Dad and everything. Then I remembered: _Fighting the arcanine... Mom attacking... leaping in front of the slave ball..._ But, if I really had been caught by a slave ball, how did I remember anything? And what was I doing in a forest?

There was grass and moss beneath my paws, and bushes and other undergrowth dotted the area. Thick trees rose from the ground, reaching their leafy boughs to the bright blue sky. But... it wasn't really the sky. It was flat and limited. And this wasn't really a forest. Green... walls closed it in. It was more like a _patch_ of forest, like some pokemon had taken a giant claw and cut out a little square of woodland. Two - what were they called? - windows rested in walls facing opposite each other. There was no wind, the air wasn't fresh, and I couldn't smell anything. The bushes weren't laden with any berries or fruit, and no pokemon scurried around in the undergrowth. All I could hear was my own breathing.

So this is what it was like inside a poke ball. Now the stupid thing seemed to be mocking me, tempting me with thin representations of my home. I trotted over to the other window and raised myself up on my hind legs, scrabbling at the wall to try to see out, but I was too short. I let out a huff of irritation and landed on all four paws, starting to pace.

Then it hit me, crashing into me like a wave that threatened to knock me off my paws.

I wanted Mom. I wanted Dad. I wanted Keira. _...Might as well throw in Lunan, too,_ I thought bitterly. Great Mew, when was that stupid trainer going to let me out of here? As soon as I got out, I was going to shred him! ...Okay, fine, I was going to make a break for it. I didn't have time to sit around beating him up. But... he would probably just recall me. _Plain and simple, I wait till he's distracted._

I gazed around at the still, silent, windless, empty, scentless forest. I had never been patient, and frustration was building up inside me, centering in one place, until I thought I was going to burst. Suddenly, the whole forest - everything - became red, then faded into pure red light. I felt that tickly feeling again, looked down and saw only red light. Then I was out of the poke ball, forming back into myself, the tickly feeling almost unbearable. I lifted a paw and sighed in relief - it was back to its regular brown color. "Eevee, use Sand-Attack!" Only then did I notice the rattata that stood several feet away, long teeth bared and trying to look fierce in its battle posture. _Oh, yeah, like I'm going to listen to _you._ You're the one who stole me from my _home.

"Didn't you hear me? Sand-Attack!" The trainer yelled, a note of anger in his voice. _Or maybe..._ I kicked up sand with my back paws, which flew straight into the trainer's face - he had been bending down to inspect me, or something like that, maybe hit me? He coughed and spluttered. "Not on me!" he screeched. "On the rattata!" I snorted. Yeah, like I didn't know that. All of a sudden, the rattata barrelled into me, knocking me off my paws. _Stupid rattata_. Whipping around, I directed my tail straight at its face - ignoring the trainer's wails of "Tackle!" - but then the rattata rammed straight into my back, leaving me swaying.

"It's time to end this," I growled under my breath, and I stood in my battle stance, watching carefully. Undoubtedly, the purple mouse would use its speed to its advantage as much as possible. There! A blur of purple. I launched myself at the rattata, colliding with it head-on. Although we were the same height, I had more weight, and I managed to knock the small pokemon to the ground. I pounced, biting and scratching, feeing the rattata squirming beneath me. "But... you're only level 8. You don't know Bite or Scratch," my trainer said, cluelessly.

The rattata beneath me let out a cry and went limp. It was still alive - I was tempted to finish it off and have me some rattata - but I stepped gingerly off of it and whirled around, baring my teeth at my trainer. But his back was turned to me. I heard the sounds of poke balls hitting stone, and I was joined by an ivysaur, a vulpix, that god-forsaken arcanine, and two other pokemon I didn't know - this bipedal, humanoid one with grayish skin and three small tan ridges atop its head. Its red eyes bored into me. The other floated several feet above the air, a dark purple color, with a grotesque, wide smile that displayed two small fangs. It had large eyes and small pupils, with a ghostly, lighter purple circle of matter at it that fringed at the edges and dissipated into the air.

The trainer set out several bowls on the ground, each one filled with dry brown pellets, pokemon kibble. I'd seen trainers feeding those to pokemon in the forest before. Lunan and I used to scoff at those pokemon for eating something that didn't even look like food.

But I was so hungry. I hadn't eaten all day; I had rushed out of the den to gather moss without thinking, and then there was the arcanine attack. By now, it was late afternoon, the sun sinking below the treetops. I was surprised at how late it was. _But then again, it's impossible to tell time in that torture chamber of a poke ball,_ I thought sourly, padding forward. The trainer poured a few bits of kibble into his hand and held them out to me. I drew back with a glare. _Think I'm going to trust you that easily, retard? _I snorted. _Stupid. You just stole me from my forest._ The trainer hesitated, then dumped the kibble into a bowl, pouring more in, and pushed it toward me with his foot.

I slunk over and bit my head, crunching the dry kibble. Its taste held the slightest suggestion of meat, but that was it. It was nothing like fresh rattata meat, once again a thin representation, just like the artificial forest I had to stay in. _At least he could've given me some berries,_ I thought sulkily. _They're easy enough to find, aren't they?_ I finished crunching down the food, the hunger in my stomach successfully driven back.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my back, the rough fingernails poking at my skin. I yelped in surprise, whirling around and sinking my teeth into the offending hand. Turns out it belonged to the trainer, and he screamed and pulled away. Scarlet drops trickled down his wounded hand. _Serves you right._ A low growl sounded nearby; the arcanine advanced, his eyes flashing in anger. "Srrr," the ivysaur muttered disapprovingly. The ghostly-looking pokemon eyed me in disregard. But the last pokemon - that bipedal one with the gray skin - looked at me with sympathetic, understanding eyes.

The trainer seemed to be restraining himself not to hit me. Instead, he pulled something out of his pocket, a small green and white ball. He pressed the button and it enlargened to the size of a large oran berry, and then he pressed the button again. It popped open and red light streamed out of it. Before I knew what was happening, the tickly feeling came over me again. I was made completely of red light.

Then the light faded, and I was presented once more with that cursed forest.

Swear words I wasn't even supposed to know rolled off my tongue.

**A/N: So, there it is. The latest chapter of Friend Ball. I've been meaning to update a lot more now that it's summer, but I've been so lazy... I've been pretty busy. Anyway, I've decided to reply to reviews lately, so here are the replies.**

**Anonymous1 - Nope, I don't mind anonymous reviews, or else I would turn them off. ;) Thanks for the review.**

**Nikolai Riuyoh - Thanks. Yeah, kind of a shock, huh?**


	5. Rock

It was so darn _boring_ in the slave ball. There wasn't a pool of water to mess around in, no other pokemon to interact with. There was just a pawful of trees that looked exactly the same and some scattered bushes. No one else, just Me, Myself, and I. _Next time, I'll run as soon as I'm out of this thing,_ I vowed. And so I waited. Seconds melted into minutes, minutes into hours. The only thing that really reminded me that time had passed was that my stomach started rumbling again and my mouth went dry. I found that by stepping back several feet, I could see through the windows, so I passed the time that way.

Through the window on the left, I saw some rough blue material filling the whole view. It appeared that the whole pokeball was getting closer and closer to the square of material, until it seemed to bump into it and the window went black, then bounce back up again to repeat the process. However, the only way to tell that that was happening was by looking out the window; the room wasn't moving at all.

The other window was much more interesting. I could observe the scenery as the trainer travelled. I could see a fast-flowing river and a wooden bridge as the trainer crossed it. I could see meadows and a dusty dirt road, then a town with buildings and people and the like. We entered one building, a large circular one, and I could see many other trainers with pokeballs on their belts - mostly red-and-white, but I saw others too, a completely white one, a completely black one, and even one slave ball. Then the trainer went alone into some other room.

I don't know how long I had been staring out the window, alone and isolated in my little slave ball prison, but all of a sudden everything began to glow red. The bright red light enveloped everything, and that familiar tingly feeling came back. In only moments, I was standing on the hard floor of a small room, enclosed by four walls. There was a human nest of some sort up against one wall, standing up on four wooden legs with some thin white material over a bunch of padding. There were two exits as well, both closed.

Most of the trainer's other pokemon were out as well, except for that two-legged gray one, and he was getting bowls of food and water ready for us. _If you can call those pellets food._ Nevertheless, I crunched up my pellets to ease the hunger in my stomach, keeping an eye on the trainer. He seemed to be making a decision, judging by the expression on his face. Then he grabbed a pokeball from his belt and tossed it on the floor, saying, "Go, machop!" My eyes widened; another slave ball. The pokeball burst open and out came the mysterious gray pokemon. _So that's what it's called,_ I thought. _Machop._ The machop settled down for a meal, picking up his bowl of food and putting the kibble into his mouth with his other hand.

He looked at me and hesitated, then asked, "...What's your name?"

I paused, swallowing my mouthful of kibble. "It's Je. Yours?"

"Je." The machop seemed to be testing the name, seeing how it felt in his mouth. "Unusual name. Well, I'm Rockslide, but everyone back home called me Rock..." He trailed off, and there was a longing in his eyes that I understood fully. Rock managed a small, slightly sad smile. "I never wanted a trainer." _None of us did._ "But at least I can get strong, training with him, and then once I'm strong enough I can escape and go back to my mountain and be the strongest machop there!" He sounded like he didn't particularly think it would happen, just that he _hoped_ that it would happen, and I felt myself wishing it would happen, too. Shared goals make for strong friendships.

I heard the trainer call, "Machop!" behind me, one of my long brown ears twitching. Rock shrugged, walking over to the boy. "What?" he asked, although we both knew the human wouldn't understand it.

"Eevee!" he added. I wouldn't answer him, I wouldn't go to him. But there was something in me that _wanted_ to go to him, something strong, something that frightened me. _Please don't let the slave ball be working..._

I went to him.

He sucked the vulpix, arcanine, floating-purple-ball-thing, and ivysaur back into their respective pokeballs, then beckoned to us to come. I followed. _I'll run for it as soon as we get outside,_ I promised myself, hoping that I would be able to do it, hoping that the slave ball didn't have that much hold on me yet. _Maybe if I still _want_ to escape, I'll be able to do it._ Suddenly, I felt the trainer's hand on me again. He was... putting something on me. I whirled around, snapping at him, but he pulled away in time and my jaws closed on nothing. Relief flooded through me. I could still resist.

Then I payed more attention to what exactly he had put on me, and my heart sank. It was a length of some brown material around my neck, which was attached to another length of the same material. The trainer held the other end in his hand. What was it called? I racked my memory. My mother had once been a trainer's pokemon, but he had wanted her to evolve into something else when she had accidently discovered a water stone and he let her go. She had told me the story before, proudly. She knew names for things that most wild pokemon didn't go. So when a growlithe had walked by in the forest wearing these same things... _Yes!_ She had called them a collar and leash. Which one was the collar, and which one was the leash, I didn't know.

The trainer led us outside, leading me by the collar and leash. I wanted to just chomp through them and make a run for it, but I wasn't able to twist around enough to reach it. I lowered my ears, stalking along beside the trainer, my expression like stormclouds. I could feel Rock's eyes on me, but I didn't bother to look.

The trainer took us into a small glade. There was a gurgling creek somewhere nearby; I could hear it and smell it. We walked into the shade of the trees. My paws were soothed by the soft forest soil. It felt almost like home, but the scent of people and buildings and the humans' transport devices overlaid the familiar forest smells and reminded me that this was just a joke of the forest I had come from. "You can't really fight with a leash dragging behind you," the trainer murmured, unclipping the long length of material he had been holding in his hand to lead me around with. _So that's the leash. Not that I really need to know._

I steeled myself to run when the trainer yelled, "Machop, attack! Use low kick!" Rock hesitated, looking conflicted. Then his expression darkened and he ran forward, sweeping one of his legs across and knocking mine from under me, leaving me defenseless on the ground. I struggled to get to my paws. "Eevee, don't just sit there!" the trainer yelled. "Fight back!" At the same time, he ordered, "Machop, give 'em all you've got! Try your karate chop!"

Just as I stood up and was about to tackle Rock, the machop started pummeling me, his hands flat as he rained blows down on my back. I cried out in pain, my legs shaking as my vision started to dim. _No. I can't give up._ I tackled the bipedal fighter, attacking with my last scrap of energy. Rock fell backward, hitting the ground hard. I pounced on him immediately, scratching his arm. Blood glistened on the marks, and I felt a wave of regret and guilt at hurting a pokemon who could have been a good friend to me. But no. He had attacked me first. I was just defending myself. And any pokemon who attacked me couldn't be my friend! But... "Rock, why are you doing this?" I demanded. Rock didn't reply, just flailed around wildly, rolling over and crushing me under his weight. I went limp, waiting for him to get off. It was an old trick taught to me by my parents.

Rock clambered off of me, and I immediately threw myself at him. This time, his head hit a rock and he sank into unconsciousness. I stared down at the machop's still form. Surprisingly, the regret was gone. _He deserved it,_ I convinced myself. _He attacked me._ Another thought crept into my mind. _When I'm an espeon, like I promised Kiera we both would be, no one will dare challenge me._

"Good job, Eevee!" the trainer congratulated me. "That training match was meant for Machop, but you beat him, even with a type disadvantage. You could be a powerful team member, especially when you're evolved..." He lapsed into silence. Suddenly, there was a _click_ as he clipped the leash onto the collar around my neck, catching me by surprise before I could bite him.

We headed back to the building with the red top, and once we reached our room, he tapped the button on my pokeball. I was dissolved into red light, tingling all over, and once again I was in my slave ball prison.

**A/N: So here's the replies...  
Anonymous1 - Yeah, as he spends more time around the trainer the friend ball will take its effect.  
I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but y'know, summer. (As if that explains everything.)**


	6. Sliding

**A/N: Wow. Has it really been that long? That just seems... insane. I didn't mean to drop off of the face of the earth (well, just fanfiction) for so long. It was an accidental hiatus of sorts. I just know that if the author of a story I was following stopped updating for five months straight, I would stop checking on it, maybe even forget about it. So if you're one of my old readers reading this, then thanks a million. If you're new, welcome to the story. And to both of you: It WON'T. HAPPEN. AGAIN. Now, back to Je. Just as a note, I didn't realize how whiny and annoying he was in past chapters until I read them over again...**

With my newly discovered trick with the window, time spent in the pokeball wasn't so bad. Or, not so boring at least. In that way, and in my own thoughts, confused and longing for home, I passed the time until the next time I was released. It was a battle, against a wild spearow. It was more difficult. Still I used moves of my own, defying my trainer, attacking, attacking...

Losing. I was losing. I huffed and puffed, staggering as its sharp pecks drilled into my side. "Vi," I grunted, lashing out at it with my claws. The swift - but extremely annoying - flying-type dodged and fluttered into the air. With a sharp, raucous "Roww!" the spearow dived down at me.

"Quick, tackle!" I felt a sharp tug to obey the trainer, even though slashing at the thing would be much more practical. I wasn't sure what happened in my mind then, but right before it hit me, I barrelled into it full force while knocking it to the ground with my claws at the same time. The flying-type hit earth badly injured.

I turned around, the trainer praised me, while a mixture of fear and relief passed through me: fear because I had done what the trainer wanted, and relief because I hadn't obeyed him totally. Questions to ask Rock pounded through me, but the machop was nowhere to be seen.

Before I knew it, I was back in the slave ball.

I huffed in annoyance, but decided that all I could do was wait. For the first time it seemed, I strolled through the imitation forest without cursing it. It seemed lonely and empty, but my rage was beginning to calm. At least it was _something_ familiar in this upside-down human world, even if it just made me miss my family all the more.

I settled down to sleep at the base of a tree, wishing that I could be anywhere else, anywhere, in Kanto.

The tingly feeling enveloped me in my sleep that day, several hours later, and I was soon standing in another pokemon center, looking around bleary-eyed. However, the weariness vanished like mist on a warm morning when I spotted Rock nearby. We were all out, eating again. I scooched up clolse to Rock and stood there, awkwardly, trying to decide what to say.

"Je." It was Rock who spoke first. He looked confused, bewildered almost. "I... what happened? It felt... _right_ to listen to him, but..."

Then I remembered.

_The trainer seemed to be making a decision, judging by the expression on his face. Then he grabbed a pokeball from his belt and tossed it to the floor, saying, "Go, machop!" My eyes widened; another slave ball._

"Rock - you were caught in a slave, er, friend ball, weren't you?" My voice became quiet. My soft brown fur brushed up against his hard gray skin.

"A green-and-white one?"

I nodded. "They... they destroy your will, your personality. You'll be under complete control of the trainer." My large ears lowered as the next sentence came out. "I was caught by one, too."

"Your description is wrong, small one!" boomed a deep voice. I whirled around to see the arcanine, anger sparking in his eyes. "A friend ball merely cultivates feelings of friendship for your trainer more quickly. You obey him because you wish to, because you're _friends._"

"But to cause that so-called 'friendship', it plows through anything that stands in its way! Feelings, personality, your own desires!" I snarled, before I knew what I was saying. For several moments we faced each other, a small eevee with defiance written all over his face and a powerful arcanine looking taken aback at my sudden anger. Doubt flickered within me; maybe yelling at him was a bad decision.

Then the arcanine growled and stalked away. "Pyro is a bit of an idealist," came Rock's soft voice.

We finished our meal in silence.

Days passed. We battled wild pokemon. We battled trainers. I felt myself becoming stronger, and my friendship with Rock strengthened. I thought about Keira, and Mom, and Dad, and Lunan for a long time before I fell asleep at the base of the same tree every night. I wished for my home forest, and I realized that we were passing towns and terrain that I'd never heard of before. _I'll never be able to find my way home!_ I thought, and my hopes of escape dimmed.

And I found myself obeying the trainer more and more, tackling at his command, using Tail Whip at his command. It frightened me. But was it just me... or was I winning battles more often? Were they becoming easier? Was it because of the human's guidance, or my own experience as I battled more and more? I cursed those thoughts for entering my mind, and despaired as I was swayed by the slave ball's hold.

Then... it happened.


	7. Fade

**A/N: I'm back! Meant to update last week, but oh well. Now time to answer the reviews.**

**PhantoMNiGHT321 - Not the best worded cliffie, but it does its job, eh?**

**And it looks like that's it. On to the story!**

I tried frantically to remember, searching my mind, but it was useless. My claws tore clumps of grass from the loose soil without me telling them to.

Keira's face was gone from my memory. Just - gone. I couldn't remember it. I wanted to scream, to attack something, but I didn't.

I just sat and waondered what would be next.

"Go, Eevee!" The trainer's call echoed faintly in my ears as I materialized on the grass at the side of a dusty road. Everyone else was out as well, crunching the standard pokemon kibble while the trainer paced back and forth, almost nervously, it seemed.

I nibbled despondently at the food I was presented with. Rock was to the right of me, the ivysaur, Vinny, to the left. "What's wrong, Je?" asked Rock after several moments.

"It's Keira," I said in an almost-whisper. "It's her face... It's just gone. I can't remember it." Over time, Rock had heard many tales of Keira, my parents, and my home forest.

"I..." Rock didn't seem to know what to say. "I'm sorry, Je." My ear twitched, but otherwise I did not respond.

I jumped when Vinny spoke, his deep voice reverberating in gentle tones. "Many pokemon get used to being captured. Pokemon all leave their family eventually. They get used to it, enjoy becoming stronger. They don't grieve." Here the ivysaur's voice became soft. "But you're different. You really care about your family... don't you?" he asked.

I nodded and swallowed my bite of kibble.

"I never had to go through this," Vinny told me, "for I was a starter pokemon, hatched at the lab in this region. But I sympathize with you."

Just then, the trainer called out to us loudly. "Listen up, guys! We're going for my fourth gym badge, and I need you all to cooperate, OK?" His gaze traveled sternly over his assembled team. "Erika doesn't go easy on her opponents. She runs a Grass-type gym, so I'll mostly be using Arcanine and Gastly. And you, Eevee." _Je,_ I thought, rather startled at being picked. "We need all eight badges for the Indigo Plateau. I know we can do it - we're a strong, determined team. I know you won't let me down. So let's win this battle!" The trainer punched his fist into the air, concluding the short pep talk.

Gastly (otherwise known as Ink) looked excited, pacing back and forth in the air. Pyro let out a bark, his eyes shining. Vinny was calmer, but smiled faintly. Rock and I exchanged glances; he looked slightly confused, and me? Well, I'm not sure how I felt, but a flicker of apprehension darkened my gaze, and my thoughts turned back to Keira.

"Wait, no... that's not how it went. He sounded more like..." I muttered, frustrated, under my breath. _I haven't seen Lunan for months,_ I tried to convince myself. _It's only natural that his voice would be a bit rusty in my mind._ I sighed. _What about Keira?_ a nagging voice asked, seming to taunt me. I tried to push my sister to the back of my mind.

I couldn't. I ended up curling up at the base of my tree and falling asleep.

_In my dream I was back in my home forest. Overjoyed, I bounded along under the familiar leafy trees, following my nose toward my family's den. I let out a yip of happiness as I spotted the den nestled among clumps of ferns, just as I remembered it._

_I dived into it, surprised to find two familiar figures there: a golden-colored vulpix and a young eevee. "Keira! Lunan!" I called out happily._

_"Je!" Keira cried, whirling around. She ran up to and gave me an affectionate lick on the cheek._

_Peering closely at her, I muttered, "That's not right..." I was sure her face had looked different before._

_Then Lunan spoke: "Your mom and dad are off catching lunch for us." _Is there something off-tune about his voice?_ I wondered. "Let's play moss-ball while we wait!"_

_When we went outside, I realized that it was too quiet. No birdsong, no quiet shuffling noises in the undergrowth, not even the sound of wind in the treetops or running water. As Keira happily chased the ball of moss, I thought,_ Keira never played moss-ball with us.

_A feeling of dread gathered in my stomach like a heavy stone. "You're not Keira, are you?" I said._

_Keira giggled. "Took you long enough." Lunan's laugh reverberated in my ears. Fear gripped my heart like icy claws as I saw them morphing, changing before my eyes. Keira became the trainer, and Lunan was Pyro, smiling cruelly to show sharp fangs._

_"No," I whispered, half-fierce, half-horrified._

_The trainer laughed and took a spherical item from his pocket. "Go, friend ball!"_

I jolted awake, my heart pounding. I was deeply disturbed by my dream and all of the other recent developments. I paced back and forth, back and forth, barely thinking, barely feeling. For a long time this went on. I felt hollow and empty, and like I was trapped in a nightmare that never ended. My home was gone. Even my memories were being taken. Despair rooted itself within me.

Then I started to tingle and harsh red light washed over my soft brown fur. The pokeball forest vanished and I found myself on a dusty ground - floor? - facing a furious Tangela.

The trainer's voice echoed in my sensitive ears:

"Go, Eevee!"


	8. Gym Badge

**A/N: Wow, this chapter took a long time. That's because I was planning to have it be much longer, but then decided to split it into two chapters. As for review replies, wow! Three reviews in one chapter! That's, like, a record for this story.**

**PhantoMNiGHT321 - Yeah, that strategy tends to work pretty well. ;)**

**la productions - Thanks for the review. (If you're wondering, this is a friend of mine who isn't actually a fan of Pokemon.)**

**Maxin - As you can see, I did. (Although maybe ignoring the "soon" part...)**

The tangela looked confident as he faced me, yet I could see that he bore numerous injuries from previous battles. I could beat him, but it was a risk. Maybe if I started out with Tail Whip...

Y'see? Just like that, like someone snapped their fingers. As soon as I'm in a battle, all other thoughts fly from my mind. Is it an effect of traveling with a trainer for so long - almost a month - being constantly forced into battles without warning? I'm not sure. But I stood there, in a defensive stance, ready to attack.

"Eevee, Tail Whip!" the trainer ordered. Instantly I leaped forward, windmilling my tail around and around so it whacked the tangela in the face (it was an alternate method that I'd figured out recently). The tangela faltered, startled, and simply let the attack go on. "Tackle while it's distracted!" continued the trainer. I broke off the attack and sprang back, my paws barely touching the ground before I thrusted myself forward. I crashed into the tangela with a snarl, causing it to slide back several steps.

A feminine laugh met my ears. "Hahaha! That won't do anything against Tangela! Use Giga Drain!" A girl not much older than the trainer who captured me stood on the other side of the big, grassy area where our battle was taking place. She had short black hair and a yellow flower-print dress. _The tangela's trainer._ But I didn't have much time to ponder this, as her tangela cried, "Tange!" Two of his tangled blue vines extended and wrapped around me.

"Ev!" I yelped, struggling. But the long vines tightened and glowed green, and I let out a drawn-out cry as pain surged through my entire body. I could feel power leaving my limbs as the tangela glowed and some of his injuries healed, cuts folding back up and scrapes fading to nothingness. Then it dropped me, and I fell, panting.

"Eevee!" the boy who had captured me cried, half in concern and half in anger. With a glare he shouted, "Quick! Sand-Attack, then Tackle again!"

I twisted around and kicked sand directly into the triumphant-looking tangela's face, then whirled around and tackled him. It barely moved. "Ve!" I cried in frustration, tackling him again. This time he staggered more satisfactorily.

"Tangela, PoisonPowder!" the girl - what was her name...? Erina? - commanded, not missing a beat.

"Gela!" the tangela muttered affirmatively, raising up two of his vines. Purple dust came flying from them as he shook them, directly toward me.

"Dodge!" I tried to heed the boy's words, but the dangerous-looking powder swept over me like a wave. Instantly I wavered on my paws, feeling almost nauseous.

And so the battle went. We exchanged moves, back and forth, the tangela weakening, me weakening, the poison slowing my paws and making my stomach churn with pain. Then, the tangela and I were both wavering, barely standing in fact. The jaws of both of our trainers clenched, knowing that the next move would decide the battle. "Tackle!" "Giga Drain!" They gave the commands all at once. The blue vines surged toward me, and panic flared up in my chest. I gave a mighty leap, adrenaline rushing through me, and went over the vines, hitting the tangela hard in what I guessed was his stomach, as he let out a loud "Oof!" and staggered.

But he was still standing. "Tangela, finish this with - " Erina (?) began, smirking, but then the tangela let out a groan and fell backwards, out cold. "Tangela..." The strange pokemon was consumed back into its pokeball, and Erina (?) let out a sigh, walking up to the boy. "You earned this, Rikki. The Rainbow Badge." She held out a hand, a flower-shaped piece of metal with brightly-colored "flowers".

The boy - Rikki, I suppose - grinned and took the piece of metal, apparently the "badge" that he had wanted so much. As it passed from her hand to his, an icy cold jolt went through me, making me straighten up, startled. My mind whirled, as did the room, blurring into confusing colors. And when the world steadied, I felt... different somehow. My trainer - _my?_ a part of me squeaked - walked up to me and patted me. I stiffened, but... something suppressed the urge to snap at him. His gentle touch felt... nice. _Nice?_ "You did a good job, Eevee. Return."

Back in my friend ball - _what happened to "slave ball"?_ - I plopped down, my mind a whirlpool of muddled thoughts. What had happened? Why did I feel so different? Why did I think "my"? So many questions, too few answers. _Vinny. I'll ask Vinny._

It was my luck, then, that the next time I found myself out of my poke ball, it was in a Pokemon Center, in one of the rooms where trainers could spend the night. All of us were out, plus a sixth, a nervous-looking spearow who was exchanging words with Rock. _She must be new._ I concluded, shaking my head as if to dispel distracting thoughts like raindrops. I padded up to Vinny, who was eating calmly. "V-Vinny?" I asked, uncertainly.

The ivysaur turned. "Yes?"

"The... gym badge. When Rikki took it -" I was surprised to find myself using his name - "I felt... different. More confused. What happened?" I looked up, my eyes almost pleading.

Vinny gazed down at me, a little sadly. "Gym badges... they're more than just pieces of metal. They have... special properties." Surprise flashed in my round black eyes. "Once a trainer obtains one, pokemon of higher levels will listen to them. Will obey them."

"Th-thank you," I whispered. The ivysaur held my gaze for a few more seconds, then turned away.

_Pokemon of higher levels will listen to him._ I shivered at the words. It was really just speeding up the process of the friend ball. _Rock... Rock was caught in one, too!_ I remembered. I bounded across the room to where Rock was standing. I caught a snippet of his sentence. "...really not a bad guy."

The spearow nodded tensely, fluttering her wings. "Rock!" I called out. He looked up questioningly. Trying to calm my pounding heart, I asked. "Rock, do you feel... different?"

"...A little," he admitted, looking troubled. My heart sank as I explained the mysterious powers of the gym badge.

**A/N: This was another rather short chapter. What did you think of the battle? Was it boring, exciting, or just okay? And I need to ask your opinion about the next chapter(s). I was going to do the next chapter covering a couple of months, made up of several events from those months. But I could also do several chapters, one for each event. I'm leaning toward the kind of condensed chapter, because honestly, I don't really want to write all that.**


	9. Downward Spiral

**A/N: This chapter is a little late... but whatever, right? No one commented on whether they wanted a bunch more chapters or one condensed chapter, so I opted for the latter and this is the result. Now time to reply to the reviews~**

**PhantoMNiGHT321 - Another update at your service, only two days late. ;)**

**Maxin - Thanks for your regular reviews, but do you think you could try to put more... content into them?**

Since then, things had just been a muddle of confused thoughts and actions. The friendd ball seemed to be grappling with my mind, trying to take over fully. It was all I could do to keep it from achieving its goal.

Except for in battle. Whenever Rikki had let me out against an opponent, my confusion had vanished, and everything had been focused on winning, attacking... listening to Rikki's commands. And I had proved to be a strong fighter, becoming one of Rikki's favorites.

But this pidgeotto was proving to be a difficult opponent, dodging each move that Rikki ordered me to use. I growled at her, hovering triumphantly above me. Both of us were battered, though I more than she, and the next few moves would decide the battle.

"Pidgeotto, Gust!" ordered the pidgeotto's trainer, a slim girl not much older than Rikki. Her green eyes flashed defiantly, and her long, straight brown hair shifted as she pointed in what was a typical trainer pose.

"Pidgoo!" the pidgeotto shreed, beating her cream-and-tan wings powerfully.

"Dodge!" Rikki followed up quickly, looking anxious as I struggled to avoid the attack. Even so, the fierce attack knocked me off my feet. "Quick, get back up and use Sand Attack!"

I hauled myself to my feet, surprised to hear the pidgeotto's trainer calling out "Quick Attack!" already. The formidable bird dove toward me, her sharp talons glinting in the sunlight. I whirled around and kicked at the sandy soil beneath my paws as hard as I could, sending a flurry of it into the pidgeotto's face at point-blank range. The flying-type screeched in pain and rage, pulling up sharply just before she hit me and trying desperately to dislodge the sand from her eyes.

"Finish it off with a Tackle!" Rikki said confidently, and I complied. I ran forward, my paws kicking up puffs of dust, and made an impressive leap into the air, barrelling into the disabled pidgeotto. We fell like stones, me landing on top of her with a loud _thud._

"Pidgeotto, no..." the girl trailed off, staring at her unconscious pokemon. With a sigh, she recalled the flying-type and dug through her pockets for money. "I guess I owe you this," she said, reluctantly dropping the coins into Rikki's outstretched hand.

The light of battle quickly faded from my eyes, and the confused feelings began to return. _No,_ I thought fiercely, but it did no good. Then Rikki walked up to me. "Another job well done, Eevee," he praised, and reached out to stroke me. A half-hearted growl trembled in my throat, but I accepted the caress of his hand. "Return."

Within seconds I was back in my friend ball, standing alone in an empty "forest". _Should I have let him do that? _I asked myself. _He's your trainer. He's why you're so strong. You owe everything to him; how could you have survived in the wild by yourself?_ whispered part of me. The other part protested violently, _No! He stole you from your family and friends! You were just fine where you were; why didn't you just bite him?_ I plopped down tiredly. _Because I couldn't,_ I thought miserably. _And even if I could, I don't even know if I would want to._ I stared down at my paws, feeling lonelier than ever. Sometimes I wished I could just end it, all of it, and be at peace.

* * *

The soft forest soil soothed my paws, and the familiar scents of rock and tree and earth calmed me. Behind me, firelight glinted between darkened trees. Around a warm, crackling campfire were Rikki, Ink, Vinny, Rock, Pyro, and the spearow, Tora - in other words, everyone. Since the gym battle, Rikki seemed to have bonded more with his pokemon. Rock and I were still friends, and Tora had grown closer to us, turning us into a trio of sorts.

But among the happy chatter at the campsite... I'd felt out-of-place, and had left to be alone with my gloomy thoughts. I padded farther and farther away. _I should run away,_ I thought with a twinge of regret. _But I can't. I don't have a place out here, not anymore._ I broke through the line of trees, my eyes widening as I found myself on a cliff. I approached the edge. It fell away over jagged rocks, then to green fields with a few trees scattered here and there. A ribbon of blue twisted through the landscape, flashing palely in the moonlight.

Then I looked up and couldn't suppress a gasp. I suddenly felt very small as my gaze traveled over the velvety black sky, spattered with countless stars. But even their frosty glimmer paled in comparison to the luminous silver moon. _Keira loved the stars. She would name all of the constellations._ I was startled at the thought, but it was true. "Keira..." The times when we played together seemed so far away and distant, almost like a dream. I was so different, so grown up. "Have you changed, too?"

I swallowed hard. "Do you ever think about me?" I paused. "I... I'm so confused. I know I have to leave, but I can't! I'm too scared, and the friend ball! But if I stay? What if I forget about everything I ever knew before?" I was practically yelling now. "Do you hear me, Keira? I just want it all to stop. I want to... I want to wake up!" I sounded so foolish for yelling to no one, so childish. But I couldn't stop.

"Why was _I _captured? Everything was perfect! I hate what I'm becoming, but what can I do? _What?_" Tears budded in my eyes. My rant was over, the adrenaline draining from my body and leaving me feeling exhausted. I waited expectantly for an answer. Of course, there was none, only the stars glittering coldly, silently, back at me in a distant night sky.

* * *

I stared out of the pokeball window, at the unfamiliar terrain we were crossing. Since my outburst, I had been more quiet, more reserved. The daily battle to resist the friend ball's influence had become harder, draining me mentally every day. Only a couple days ago, Rikki had won a Soul Badge in Fuschia City; I hadn't been used in the battle. Clear moments outside of battle, like the one on the cliff, were rare. This was not one of those times.

I rested my head on my paws. _Rock... he's been feeling it more, too. At least Tora isn't... she wasn't caught in a friend ball... I mean slave ball... friend ball?_ I shook my head vigorously. _I hope the next battle comes soon. It's so exhilarating... and so... crystal-clear. And Rikki's praise afterward, the stroke of his hand..._ I frowned. _Did I really just think that? It's all... so unclear, like muddy water. Like in that stream back home. Or was that in Viridian Forest?_

The land outside the window stopped moving and a boy, pokeballs on belt, came into view.

I braced myself for the tingle, knowing what to expect.

* * *

"So," Tora chirped, situated between Rock and I. We were taking a lunch break with Rikki and the others. The flying-type cocked her head. "What was it like, where you came from? Friends, family, y'know?"

"My best friend was a golden vulpix named..." I paused. "Named... Lon...en?" Tora frowned. Rock looked up, worry evident in his crimson eyes. "Oh, no..." I closed my eyes. "Not again, not more memories..." I reached out for the forest, for Mom and Dad. _What did the den look like? Didn't it have... ferns around it?_ My eyes narrowed. _Dad... he was a jolteon, right?_ I could feel panic welling up inside of me. _NOT AGAIN._ I thought, trying to quell it, but it was useless. The world spun around me. "I... I can't remember what my own home looked like... What species my dad was... My best friend's name..." My voice was high-pitched, my eyes squinted shut to fight back tears.

Tora stood awkwardly beside me, while Rock placed a gray-skinned hand on my back. When I spoke again, my voice was bitter. "...I thought taking details away from my friend and sister were enough... but I guess not."

* * *

The pale moon rose high into the sky; I could see that from the friend ball window. I rose stiffly to my paws, yawning and giving an impressive stretch. _I've been up too late, thinking about the past,_ I thought. _Or at least, what of the past I can remember,_ I added regretfully.

Suddenly, a bright red light seared across my vision, and the familiar tingling feeling closed over me. _But it's too late for a battle,_ I thought, confused. Then I found myself materializing on a city street, my paws scraping against the hard asphalt. "Saffron City is beautiful at night." I jumped at the sound of Rikki's voice, turning around. A half-smile played on my trainers lips as he minimized my pokeball and jammed it into his pocket. "Couldn't sleep," he whispered, kneeling down and ruffling the fur on top of my head. "I'm too nervous about tomorrow's big battle with Sabrina."

He straightened up and began to walk down the street, me trotting alongside him. A strange peace washed over me in his presence, just the two of us, in the moonlight. Rikki looked down at me and smiled. "Let's go for a walk, friend."

**A/N: If you're wondering, the last section isn't a flashback but the present and will be continued in the next update. See ya then~**


	10. Moonlight Stroll

**A/N: I'm truly touched by your consistent reviews, and all the praise that you've given me over the course of writing this story. We're close to the end now, with three more chapters yet to be posted (if I follow my plan). Sorry this chapter is late; there was homework, and our wi-fi was down for a couple days, and I was sick... well, I could give you about ten reasons, but you probably wouldn't accept any of them, so just enjoy the story!**

Tall buildings, golden-brown in daylight, now rose up darkly on either side of us, silhouetted against a blackened, star-sprinkled sky. The soft call of a pidgey punctured the cool night air.

The rough sidewalk scraped uncomfortably against my paw pads, and there wasn't a tree in sight. But that didn't matter; at least, I told myself I didn't. This was the first time I'd been alone with Rikki in - ever, I realized with a blink. It felt uncomfortable, with no one else there, but good, strangely good. I found myself edging closer to him until my brown fur brushed his pale leg. _Is this right? Is this... me?_ The thought presented itself, but I quickly silenced it. _I shouldn't worry about whether this is right or wrong, not now. Just live in the moment. Think about it later._ The coaxing words ran through my mind, and I smiled.

Rikki, however, was not in such a cheerful mood. "The only super-effective pokemon I have is Haunter..." My ears pricked. Ink was a Haunter now? "...and she's also weak to psychic-type moves, because of the poison type. Machop will be weak against Sabrina's pokemon as well." He seemed to be talking half to himself, half to me. "I'll have to just go all-out with my most powerful pokemon... Arcanine, Ivysaur, maybe you."

"Vui," I agreed. My round brown-black eyes roved the landscape. The asphalt stretched out like a field, and buildings populated the land as thickly as trees. Where there was grass, it was cut short and arranged in neat rectangles. I wouldn't choose to spend my free time here, but it was the _activity_, not the setting, that really mattered.

A loud, "Hey!" burst the silence. My long ears twitched, and both Rikki and I turned to face the sound. A boy, a bit younger than Rikki, was scrambling across the street toward us. A kadabra followed him determinedly, if at a more sedate pace. "Let's have a battle, you and me!"

"Well..." Rikki hesitated as he heard the boy's request.

"C'mon, it'll be good practice for you. Don't tell me you're not here for a Marsh Badge," the boy added seriously.

"Okay," Rikki relented. "But we can't just battle in the middle of the road."

The boy brightened. "Follow me!" With renewed vigor, he dashed back across the road, the rest of us in tow. I fell back, matching my pace to the kadabra's, which was rather difficult considering my short legs. We regarded each other silently for a while. Finally, it - he - spoke. But not out loud; his voice reverberated in my mind. _ I can defeat you or any other pokemon your master throws at me!_ he claimed. I went rigid as he conveyed his telepathic message. It seemed too much like the friend ball, seeming to almost whisper to me, but in the form of my own thoughts.

I forced myself to keep walking. "We'll see about that!" I countered confidently, although I had my own doubts about defeating the imposing psychic-type. _Yes, we shall see,_ he replied coolly, and a steely glint entered his eyes.

I extended my paw to take another step and recoiled in shock. Instead of more hard pavement, my paw had brushed close-cropped, dew-laden grass. So enveloped had I been in talking to the kadabra, I hadn't known the path his trainer had chosen to take. We were entering, according to the boy, the "Saffron Central Park". Trees were scattered sparsely across the field, with a playground in the distance. We assembled in a wide stretch of obstacle-free grass, with Rikki and the boy taking their positions opposite each other.

"Of course, I'll be using Kadabra," the boy declared. Kadabra took a stance in front of him. "In case I'd forgotten, my name is Casey," he added.

"I'm Rikki," my trainer told him, "and I'll be using..." His hand hovered uncertainly over his pokeballs.

I took the chance. "Evui!" I interjected firmly, going to stand in front of him.

Rikki gave a soft laugh. "Apparently I don't have a choice. Eevee will be my battler!"

"You can go first," Casey volunteered, evidently itching with excitement by the way he was shifting his feet.

"Eevee, start with a Sand-Attack!" Rikki ordered after a moment's thought.

"Vee!" I agreed, dashing out, then turning on my heels and kicking a torrent of sand directly into Kadabra's face, who tried to dodge, but I had already done sufficient damage. Like always, my mind cleared of any conflicting thoughts. It was just me and the battle, crystal-clear, my attention focused completely.

Kadabra coughed and blinked sand out of his eyes. "Disable!" Casey ordered. Kadabra grunted, thrusting out his spoon. It glowed red and, to my shock, released a pulse of psychic energy that traveled toward me at startling speed. I tried to heed Rikki's urges to dodge, but it simply swerved in its course and hit me. I felt an icy jolt shiver through me, and when I reached out to the memory of Sand-Attack, I found that to my alarm, it was simply gone from my memory. "Ha!" Casey cried smugly, "Kadabra can control attacks with his telepathic powers! Getting sand in his eyes won't slow him down!"

"Quick Attack!" Rikki commanded, unfazed (at least outwardly). I dashed toward Kadabra, plowing into the humanoid at full speed. But he barely seemed to feel the attack, standing his ground and falling back only a few paces.

"Let's end this quickly," Casey muttered grimly, then pointed dramatically, clearly enjoying himself. "Kadabra... Psybeam!"

"Dab_raa_!" Kadabra cried, holding out his hands, the spoon inbetween them. A huge ray of psychic energy, rippling with every color imaginable, shot forth from his shining spoon. My eyes widened and I scrambled to heed Rikki's needless cry of "Dodge!", but once again, it followed my move, plunging straight into me.

Pure white pain seared through every one of my veins, like I was being electrified. I slumped to the ground, with a weak "veee". When I did manage to get to my paws, I felt faint and dizzy. Colors blurred around me and the world spun under my feet. "Ha, it's confused!" Casey cried out triumphantly. "Finish it off with one last Psybeam!"

Somewhere nearby, I heard Kadabra's signature cry, fear pulsing through me. I know its spoon would be raised by now, ready to unleash another painful psychic beam. I braced myself, knowing it would soon be over, wild fear pounding through me. But then, Rikki's desperate cry of "Eevee!" brought me back to earth. _I can't lose!_ I thought. _Rikki will never have the confidence to face Sabrina then... and he'll lose faith in me. I can't lose!_

Deep within me, something stirred. Subconsciously, I knew what I had to do to win. Doubts pulsed through me, but I silenced them. It was time. My vision steadied just in time to see myself emitting a bright white glow. My shaggy brown fur rippled, changing to deep black with yellow rings. My stocky build was exchanged for a more streamlined form. My eyes went from being round and brown-black to red and narrow. I felt like I was being stretched and pulled and pushed into a new shape.

The past flickered before my eyes, full of different colors and images, from the fateful day that started it all, to this very moment, equally as life-changing.

_This meadow was Keira's favorite place to play with me. Why had I come here? I knew it would just make me feel even worse, if that was even possible. Keira and I would pretend what we would be when we evolved from eevees. I would be an espeon, and she would be a leafeon. I just collapsed there and then. The tears came. I sobbed my heart out until the tears wouldn't come. _The world should end,_ I thought bitterly. _First Lunan, then Keira.

_Dad beckoned me over, and I pressed myself against his warm body. The flareon spoke darkly to me, a shadow passing over his face. "As you know, trainers capture pokemon in poke balls, but there is more than just the standard type of poke ball," he explained. "One such type is what they call a friend ball. When caught by one of those, your personality, your will for freedom, is completely erased and destroyed."_

_I barely thought as I wrestled myself from Mom's iron grip, twisting around just in time as the sinister poke ball was about to hit her. Instead, it collided with me, and the hard object hitting home felt like some stupid mankey had thrown a rock at me. I felt a strange tingling sensation, my mother's panicked howl sounding like it came from a long distance away. Then the blackness came._

_"Eevee, use Sand-Attack!" Only then did I notice the rattata that stood several feet away, long teeth bared and trying to look fierce in its battle posture. _Oh, yeah, like I'm going to listen to you. You're the one who stole me from my _home_._ "Didn't you hear me? Sand-Attack!" The trainer yelled, a note of anger in his voice. _Or maybe... _I kicked up sand with my back paws, which flew straight into the trainer's face - he had been bending down to inspect me, or something like that, maybe hit me?_

_I steeled myself to run when the trainer yelled, "Machop, attack! Use low kick!" Rock hesitated, looking conflicted. Then his expression darkened and he ran forward, sweeping one of his legs across and knocking mine from under me, leaving me defenseless on the ground. I struggled to get to my paws. "Eevee, don't just sit there!" the trainer yelled. "Fight back!"_

_"Your description is wrong, small one!" boomed a deep voice. I whirled around to see the arcanine, anger sparking in his eyes. "A friend ball merely cultivates feelings of friendship for your trainer more quickly. You obey him because you wish to, because you're friends." Before I knew what I was saying, I snarled, "But to cause that so-called 'friendship', it plows through anything that stands in its way! Feelings, personality, your own desires!" For several moments we faced each other, a small eevee with defiance written all over his face and a powerful arcanine looking taken aback at my sudden anger._

_"It's Keira," I said in an almost-whisper. "It's her face... It's just gone. I can't remember it." Over time, Rock had heard many tales of Keira, my parents, and my home forest. "I..." Rock didn't seem to know what to say. "I'm sorry, Je." My ear twitched, but otherwise I did not respond. I jumped when Vinny spoke, his deep voice reverberating in gentle tones. "Many pokemon get used to being captured. Pokemon all leave their family eventually. They get used to it, enjoy becoming stronger. They don't grieve." Here the ivysaur's voice became soft. "But you're different. You really care about your family... don't you?" he asked._

_The boy - Rikki, I suppose - grinned and took the piece of metal, apparently the "badge" that he had wanted so much. As it passed from her hand to his, an icy cold jolt went through me, making me straighten up, startled. My mind whirled, as did the room, blurring into confusing colors. And when the world steadied, I felt... different somehow. My trainer - _my?_ a part of me squeaked - walked up to me and patted me. I stiffened, but... something suppressed the urge to snap at him. His gentle touch felt... nice. _Nice?_ "You did a good job, Eevee. Return."_

_I swallowed hard. "Do you ever think about me?" I paused. "I... I'm so confused. I know I have to leave, but I can't! I'm too scared, and the friend ball! But if I stay? What if I forget about everything I ever knew before?" I was practically yelling now. "Do you hear me, Keira? I just want it all to stop. I want to... I want to wake up!" I sounded so foolish for yelling to no one, so childish. But I couldn't stop. "Why was I captured? Everything was perfect! I hate what I'm becoming, but what can I do? _What?_"_

Then the images faded, and all the troubling thoughts, all my misgivings about Rikki, all went away, replaced by peace - something I hadn't felt in a long time, and I let out a little sigh as they left me. I felt something else slipping away too... my memories, the past... I tried desperately to clutch them back, but they were already gone. The slightest impression that my old self wouldn't like this twinged in my stomach, but then it faltered and died. I had evolved, I had changed, and this was my fate.

"Umbreon," I purred, turning to face my opponent.


	11. The Psychic Type Convention

**A/N: Yeah, I vanished for a month. But I was getting out of the story. I wasn't really motivated, even though I felt sorta guilty. Then I saw the new reviews that rocketed my story to the most popular one I've written. I have to finish this story. If not for all my awesome readers, because it's been bouncing around inside me for so long and I'm so close to the end, it would be really lame to just give up now. So enjoy the latest chapter! And here are review replies.**

**Darkluvumbreon - I named my eevee in HG after him. That one was always meant to be an umbreon, and I was really happy when he finally evolved.**

**xxxNam-niCxxx - Thanks for all the reviews! FB is officially my most popular story now. I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

You could see the shock, plain on everyone's faces, in their wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Kadabra's Psybeam rolled over me as harmlessly as fog, and I leaped for the psychic pokemon, amazed at the speed of my new body. "Reflect!" cried Casey, nearly panicking, but he was too late. I plowed into Kadabra, causing my opponent to stumble.

And before I knew what I was doing, I slapped my paw into his stomach, feeling the dark power coursing through me, streaming _through_ my paw, filling my enemy with pain. Then I backed off, still in a battle stance, ready for the next move.

But I knew the battle was won.

Kadabra staggered, "Disable!" Casey ordered, at the same time that Rikki called to me, "Quick Attack! Finish it off!"

Kadabra nodded weakly and raised his spoon, but as the sharp jolt went through me that ment my dark attack was gone, I hit him swift and hard in the side, dashing away and skidding in the slick grass. "Dabra!" he cried out, and fell with a _thud_. He didn't get back up.

"You won!" Rikki cried in astonishment. "And you - you evolved," he added more quietly. "Now beating Sabrina will be a cinch!"

"Bre!" I replied happily. Then Casey walked up, Kadabra recalled. There was slight disappointment in his gaze, but more amazement; the feelings were reflected in his voice as he remarked, "Well, that was impressive. I guess you won fair and square." He dropped several poke into Rikki's waiting hand.

Adrenaline was still rushing through me as Rikki recalled me and the boys exchanged parting words. I had _evolved_! It was the second most life-changing thing to ever happen to me.

* * *

At the Pokemon Center, I greeted the stares of the other pokemon - Ink's startled, Pyro's surprised but pleased, and Tora's, Vinny's, and Rock's tinged with... sadness? I trotted lightly over to my old friends, crunching my food without complaint. "What's wrong?" I asked with slight disappointment.

"Weren't you going to be an espeon?" asked Rock quietly.

"Was I?" I cocked my head, my keen red eyes observing Rock's dismayed expression. "Come on, Rock, it's still _me_."

"I guess." The machop gave a weak smile.

I frowned. "Of course it is! And now the Marsh Badge will be no problem to win," I added. Despite my friends' nods, the rest of the meal was quiet.

When Rikki finally recalled us, I curled up under my favorite tree, a little confused. All of the misgivings and internal battling that had tormented me were gone... wasn't that a good thing? Yet Tora, Rock, Vinny... they were anything but pleased with my new form.

As I gazed around the faux forest, it struck me that it reminded me of something. But what? _My old home?_ I wondered, trying to picture the forest where I grew up. But I couldn't - I didn't remember what it looked like... _I can't remember my family, either!_ I realized. I wasn't sure whether to be sad, angry, or panicked - so instead, I was calm. Yet I couldn't help the little stir of dread that went up within me. _Yes, the days of internal battling ar gone - but at what price?_

* * *

My pants came fast and hard. I didn't care. How could I, when Sabrina's last pokemon, an Alakazam, was lying defeated at my paws? I didn't miss the look of pride and joy on Rikki's face as he accepted the Marsh Badge, then walked over and scratched hard behind my ears. "You earned this one, Umbreon," he told me warmly.

After that win, we continued to travel, and before long, I was Rikki's prize pokemon. The past was behind me - I couldn't even remember it. Sometimes I felt a little twinge of regret, but mostly I was relieved for the weight of the memories to be gone from my shoulders, allowing me to live happily in the present.

And I did. I lived for battling, for Rikki's praise, for afternoons spent with Rock and Tora - even if they had seemed to distance themselves from me a bit. It was a happy existence. I watched Vinny become a Venusaur only a few days after winning the badge. Tora evolved into a Fearow. Most startling of all, Rock became a machoke! I watched him change like I had. I watched the troubles leave him. I watched Tora blink the sadness out of her gaze whenever we were together, and wished she would accept our fates, as we had.

Then one day, a strangely warm morning in early spring, Rikki and I were walking down the streets of Cinnabar Island when we came across a poster. "_Psychic pokemon convention in Saffron City's Gym_,"Rikki read aloud. "_Show off your psychic pokemon. Don't have a psychic-type? Bring your team and challenge the strongest psychic-types around!_" My trainer turned to me excitedly. "Umbreon, we've gotta go! With you, we'd win every match, no doubt about it!"

"Umbre!" I chirped in agreement.

And with that, we turned around and embarked for Saffron City. It took over a week to get there. Many a night, guided by the glow of my golden rings and the campfire, we would train for the big event. Finally, we arrived, on the night the convention started.

Rikki didn't let me out of my pokeball when he stepped into the Gym; he was probably planning on keeping me a surprise. But I observed my competition through the windows. A huge alakazam, effortlessly bending spoons - which were, what's more, being spun in complex patterns in the air by psychic energy alone! A tiny chingling, letting out bell-like tones and loosing small waves of energy; a smoochum, blowing kisses to passersby; a hypno, swinging its yo-yo with hypnotizing precision - and even an espeon, well-groomed and giving charismatic looks to all who made eye contact. I felt a small twinge at this last sight, but could not identify the source.

It turned out there would be no challenging until tomorrow evening. Rikki stayed up late, studying psychic-types with his pokedex, convinced he would get rich with the prize money. I drifted off to sleep, my last thoughts full of excitement. I plunged straight into a dream.

_I ran through an unfamiliar forest, leaves crackling beneath my paws. I wanted to leave. I desperately wanted to leave, but more trees reared up in front of me each time I thought I would reach the end. Branches slapped my pelt, and deep shade made me shiver._

_But finally, I did find the way out. Hope fluttered in my chest. Suddenly, a blur of dark fur flew into my path and blocked my way; a young eevee. "Leaving so soon?" she asked, looking pained._

_"Let me go!" I cried. "I have to get back to Rikki! I have to be back in time for the battles!"_

_The eevee laughed. "You don't _really_ think he cares about you, do you? You're just a tool of his. He's just using you for his own money and fame!"_

_"That's not true!" I spat, my ears pinned back with rage. Filled with the desperate need to get out of this forest, I fled back from whence I came, my paws pounding the earth. Colors smudged and blurred around me, and I was running blind. I could hear voices calling out above me - familiar voices, voices I should know - but they were full of anger and malevolence, their taunting cries and enranged shouts falling like rain on my ears. Yet still I ran on and on..._

I woke up with a start the next morning. I hadn't had dreams like that since my days locked in combat with the friend ball's influence. _No,_ I told myself firmly. _Those days are _not_ coming back._

I shared a quick meal with the team members that evening, during which my friends wished me luck. Pyro just glared (he'd been that way since his displacement as Rikki's favorite) and Ink didn't seem to care. Rikki recalled us and set out for the Gym.

From my vantage point at the window, I saw us approach a boy with dark blue hair and similarly colored eyes. This colorful gaze flicked up to meet Rikki as he approached, turning from questioning to competitive as they conversed. We headed for the expanse of grass behind the Gym.

I could taste victory already, could feel the praise, my paws itching for battle. Then the ground sped up to meet me, and red light closed over my head. "Umbreon!" I cried jubilantly, assuming a battle stance as I awaited my opponent eagerly.

Surprise flickered on the boy's face. Then he tossed his pokeball, and it hit earth as light streamed from the red-and-white sphere. "Go, Espeon!"

**A/N: I sure do love cliffhangers. Well, not when I'm the one reading them. ;)**


	12. Espeon

**A/N: Wow. So I go on, promising I'll never take a 5-month break again, and then what do I do? I take a 3-month break. Again I found myself slowing down in enthusiasm, and finally it got pushed to the back of my mind. Then I got a PM, and it motivated me to finally finish this chapter. Thank you, darkluvumbreon! Enjoy, peoplez!**

**PhantoMNiGHT321 - Right you are...**

**xxxNam-niCxxx - This hasn't been very fast. XP But as you can see, he doesn't really have feelings of regret facing an espeon, as he's basically been a fighting machine for the past few months.**

**Darkluvumbreon - Cool! My Je has been sitting unused on HG for a while. (must finish that game...) And again thanks for the PM! It's great to have such loyal readers!**

I was confident. I was more than confident. I was brimming with triumph that wasn't even mine yet, but surely would be in just a few more minutes. I knew Rikki was, too. I fed off the sureness that pulsed from my trainer.

_This is the first of many,_ the thought whispered in my mind. _The first of many battles you can't lose._

"Your move, Jake," Rikki offered with a half-smile.

"Espeon! Confusion!" the second trainer - apparently Jake - ordered. I picked up the twinge of anxiety embedded deep within his voice, and the determination layered thickly over it, like frosting. I almost laughed at his foolishness. Didn't he know that a psychic-type attack would do nothing to me? But Espeon went through with it anyway, her eyes glowing purple as she released a wave of psychic energy that pulsed over me and did nothing more than make my heart quicken. She blinked, puzzled that her attack had not worked.

"Umbreon, faint attack!" Rikki ordered. _Speeding things up._ The thought flashed through my mind and I charged toward Espeon, my paw sparking with energy as I drove it into her side. "Esp!" she cried out, a soft, pained sound, but before I was able to run away she whipped around and fastened her teeth in my leg. This time I cried out, shaking my leg violently, but that only caused it to hurt more. My eyes widened as I felt blood seeping out of the wound.

"Espeon!" Her trainer sounded startled, but uncertain as to whether he should tell her to let go or not.

"Sand-Attack!" Rikki yelled. I was happy to obey, my paws frantically turning dust up into Espeon's face. She coughed and her eyes narrowed, but still she held on. This was her only way to win the battle, and she knew it. I twisted and turned and bucked, desperately trying to throw her off, egged on by the searing pain in my leg, by the drops of blood that fell to the earth.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in my mind. I collapsed, my chest heaving, my eyes closed. I could feel Espeon relaxing her grip, could almost _feel_ her surprise as she drew away. "Umbreon!" Rikki cried out. _One second longer_. Then I surged upwards, my eyes flying open, my paw outstretched, dark power pulsing from it once more, saw Espeon turning too late as my paw drove into her once more, and I darted away, quicker this time. But then I stumbled as pain jolted through me when I set down my injured leg.

Rikki and Jake were startled. They didn't seem to know what to do. Jake, maybe, knowing he would lose, stunned at Espeon's ferocity; Rikki, perhaps, knowing he would win, shocked at my leg wound as well. Then they seemed to snap out of it. "Psybeam!" shouted Jake at the same moment that Rikki ordered, "Faint Attack again!"

I darted for her, but I was clumsy with my injured leg, and she dodged easily. "Eon..." she grunted as a pink glow enamated from her, and she released a powerful beam of multicolored light, surging toward me. I stood by confidently as it surged past me, my eyes narrowed against the coloful ray. Psybeam had been the move that had caused me, in my desperation, to evolve. But now it posed no threat to me. Espeon had wasted her energy.

Despite the pain in my leg, I knew I would still win. The knowledge buzzed in me like a hive of Combees, surging through my veins as I dashed toward her, preparing for another Faint Attack. I had to say it, or I might explode. "You'll never win!"

But instead of the look of determination, frustration, maybe anger that I expected on Espeon's face as she sidestepped, she recoiled as if stung, a look of pure shock spreading over her features. Shock... and was that horror? "Espeon, get back up! Use Future Sight!" Jake pleaded, but she stayed sitting, as open to attacks as a sitting Psyduck.

"Hit her while she's down with one more Faint Attack!"

"J... Je?" The name barely escaped her quivering lips.

"I know no one of that name," I replied scathingly as I darted at her, ready to strike.

She leaped out of the way, fur bristling. "It's you!" she shouted. "I know it is! What's happened to you?"

"You're crazy!" I barked. Once again I dashed at her, ignoring the shivers of pain going through my wound.

She whirled out of my path, eyes wide with horror as she observed my limp. "Oh no. No, no. I did that to you. I hurt you!"

"Like I'm about to hurt you," I snarled.

"Espeon! Last Resort!" Jake cried out, but she ignored him. Her eyes were wide purple pools of sorrow and regret. "You don't remember me... do you?" Her large, begging eyes turned upon me. "Does the name... Keira mean anything to you?"

"No!" I growled, even as a twinge went through me. Did that name sound... familiar? _No, it doesn't,_ I assured myself. _This is my enemy. I _must_ defeat her, no matter what it takes. For Rikki. She's obviously crazy, and that will just make it easier._

I ran toward her again, sheer determination pushing through the pain. This match had gone on far too long.

It was time to end this.

"Je!" she begged. "Je, come back! You're in there somewhere, I know you are!" Her desperate eyes searched mine as she wailed like a lost skitty. She whirled out of the way at the last moment, although my paw brushed the tip of her double tail, causing her to stumble slightly. "You're not who you think you are," she murmured quietly, her eyes _willing_ me to understand, as if she were putting her whole being into the effort.

I wasn't that foolish.

"Umbreon, it's time to end this." Rikki's voice carried clearly across the battlefield, strained with undertones of worry. "Shadow Ball."

I was all too eager to comply, to hurt, to faint, this annoying, crazy espeon, who had wounded my leg and reduced my confident stride to a limp, who should have been destroyed long ago in this battle. I threw my whole self into creating the ball of dark energy. More so than I'd ever done before. The spiraling, writhing mass of darkness swelled before me, and somewhere in the conscious I wasn't using to create it, I knew it was the largest I'd ever made.

"Espeon!" Jack cried, his voice full of fear. "D-Do something! Run! Don't just sit there!"

I gritted my teeth, feeling my energy drain, feeling the ball grow as a result of my pent-up frustration and fear and anger.

The espeon stared deep into my eyes; mine blood-red, hers soft violet. Her bell-like voice spoke a single word, full of urgency, of desperation, of pain, of longing.

"Je."

And in that moment, that one nanosecond before I released the ball, something flickered within me.

It all came crashing down, threatening to crush me, to destroy me, to reduce me to nothingness.

Like my Shadow Ball would to Keira.

_Me bursting into a meadow, a young eevee, my eyes full of pain, and collapsing in the rain. Only one thought in my mind: my sister and the trainer who caught her._

_Me racing through the forest, skidding to a stop at the foot of a tree, my claws tearing moss. Angry, angry at Keira being gone, and then a deep voice saying, "Arcanine." Pyro's voice._

_Me standing at the edge of a cliff, an umbreon now, my voice anguished, piercing the night air as I screamed to Keira, even though she couldn't hear me, pouring out my heart._

_Me dashing through a dark dream-forest, standing at the edge of the woods, blocked by a young eevee, begging me not to leave. My sister._

It whirled through my mind like a tornado. In moments that seemed to last minutes, my eyes registered shock and met Keira's, hers full of joy and then horror.

I couldn't hold on, not with this - this hurricane, this hurricane of thoughts and emotions. The ball flew out of my reach and through the air, whirling toward Keira, whirling toward my sister.

Far more than was needed to faint her.

More than was needed to kill her.

I whirled around, my heart pounding, thoughts and emotions tearing through me like the sharpest claws, horror of what I had just done pulsing through me.

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, dashing into the line of trees beyond the clearing in seconds that stretched out past the boundaries of reality, ignoring the hurt leg that screamed beneath my weight, ignoring Rikki's cries that screamed behind me, shutting out the world, shutting out sounds and sights and...

And then I was running blind through the trees, only one thought pulsing through me, depositing fear and horror into every crevice, as I crashed into trunks and bushes, as branches tore at my body, as sharp pebbles ripped at my paws and startled birdcalls rang in my ears.

_My sister. My sister. I might have killed my sister._

I ran.


	13. Epilogue

A dark pine forest spread out. It nestled a shining human town in its western corner, dwarfing the rather large town with its impressive display of fragrant green pines.

Snow was falling.

It capped the trees and fell softly to the cold earth, muffling pawsteps and piling up higher by the minute. It whitened the forest, obscuring the gentle palate of forest colors and hung transparent icicles on weighed-down boughs.

One rather small creature struggled through the deep snowdrifts, alone in the silent night. The other creatures of the forest had had the sense to hide in their burrows and dens, sheltered from the pretty but freezing-cold snowflakes that fell in a frenzy from the dark sky.

The pokemon was an umbreon, though you could barely tell by the snow that fell on his pelt and froze his fur into spiky clumps. His red eyes were narrowed in concentration, as he could barely see where he was going. The snow fell as though it would never fall again, transforming the world into a white, blinding, swirling mass, transforming depth and turning nearby objects into dark, shapeless humps or hiding them completely. Sometimes his head was barely above the snowdrifts, his whole body bathed in the clean, wet, achingly cold substance.

A lesser creature would have given up. But he had a directive, a purpose, a driving force.

He barely allowed himself to shiver, tried to control the chattering of his teeth. His whole mind was focused on just one subject. Nothing else crowded his mind, not food nor shelter nor warmth.

Only two things mattered to him: staying away from humans and finding his sister, the second more than the first.

He would struggle through any amount of blizzards to find her. He would brave the most lashing rain, the widest river, the closest lightning, and yes, the meanest trainer.

He would spend as long as it took to find Keira, alive or dead. To press his nose into her fur, to speak to her; or to finally put a cap onto the question that had troubled him since that fateful day, even if it meant fresher waves of grief.

If he was killed, so be it; if it took years, so be it.

And so he struggled on through the snow, one tiny umbreon in the center of a raging blizzard, in the center of a giant forest.

**Final A/N (warning long): Finally. Finally, finally. This is the epilogue and so, obviously, the last chapter. I am very proud of myself for finishing my first chapter story. Sure, it's pretty short. Sure, it took me nearly a YEAR to complete, and I probably spent more time on "hiatus" than actually writing. But it's my story, and it's finished. So that makes me happy. :)**

**I didn't want to stick my Final A/N in until the end, since I didn't want to ruin the (hopefully) epic epilogue, and it just feels right. Thanks to all my reviewers! And if I start slacking off on a story, I never mind a PM or whatever to remind me to get my rear in gear. :) Anyway, I've been thinking about a sequel to Friend Ball. It would be called "Chasing Dreams" and involve Je's search for Keira. It would also be longer, probably much longer. I'm going to put a poll up on my profile. Hopefully some people will vote. :)**

**And last but not least, review replies.**

**xxxNam-niCxxx - Aww, don't be sad! :) And as you can see, your updating wishes have been fulfilled.**

**CastformLover - I hope you liked the ending of the story.**

**PhantoMNiGHT321 - Indeed. :) (I think I might be going overboard on smiley faces...)**

**fractalman - Quite the little naught eevee, huh?**

**Darkluvumbreon - Heh, I'll try (very hard!) not to disappear again. As you can see I have an idea for the sequel, not fully fleshed out yet, but yeah.**

**And with that, thanks once more to my fans/reviewers! Remember to vote on the poll!**

**P.S.: I should get a reward for having an A/N almost as long as my chapter, or something...**


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